Howard, who averages 25.7 points per game, was wincing in pain throughout the first half. He exited at the 11:09 mark and went to the locker room with MU's trainer with what coach Steve Wojciechowski described after the game as a pulled groin muscle.

Marquette's forward Sacar Anim glides in for an easy dunk for two of his 18 points.(Photo: Brian Fluharty / USA TODAY Sports)

The junior guard returned a few minutes later. He still played 36 minutes against the Friars (15-13, 5-10), including the entire second half. Howard finished with 14 points on 2-for-12 shooting while making all eight of his free throws.

"Certainly he wasn't himself," MU coach Steve Wojciechowski said, "but you also have to give Providence a lot of credit."

Anim scored 12 points in the first half, making 5 of 6 shots while attacking Providence's defense with his floaters. MU had a 31-20 lead at halftime despite committing 10 turnovers and allowing the Friars to pull down seven offensive rebounds.

"You have to have guys who can make plays because you're not going to be able to run a lot of plays against them because of the defense," Wojciechowski said. "And I thought Sacar's attack mentality was huge for our team.

"His ability to drive the ball to make plays for himself and make plays for others really jump-started our team."

Anim also had the highlight of the game when he made a steal and then threw down a vicious one-handed slam while getting fouled by Providence's A.J. Reeves.

It felt good for the 21-year-old who joked about being old after missing a few dunks earlier this season.

"I told these guys 'I'm back,'" Anim said. "I've been missing a lot of dunks this year. Usually I get a lot more dunks."

Joey Hauser also had a breakthrough after suffering through a recent shooting slump. The freshman shot just 6 for 31 over his previous five games.

"Coaches keep giving me confidence to shoot, and my teammates keep telling me to shoot. So that definitely helped get my confidence up. After you see a couple easy ones go in, a couple layups, then the three-point ball starts opening up."

Was Hauser hitting the so-called freshman wall after having only played one game in his senior season in high school because of injuries?

"I guess a little bit," he said. "Kind of got into a little bit of a drag there, a little bit of a shooting slump. But trying to keep my spirits up definitely helped."

The Golden Eagles broke Providence's spirits by hitting three-pointers on four straight possessions – two from Sam Hauser and one apiece from Howard and Joey Hauser – for a 61-39 lead

MU could be a dangerous team in March if it keeps up this well-balanced attack. The Golden Eagles showed they can win without a monster effort from Howard, the same as they did Jan. 15 at Georgetown when the star guard played only three minutes due to back issues.

"We have a number of guys that are capable of playing really well," Wojciechowski said. "We have a group of kids that have bought into their role and have maintained, from very early in the season, that the mission is the most important thing."